Toa Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.

Hiroyuki Nakamoto

Masakazu Fukuda

Tokuhiro Okada

Hidemichi Tohori

Tokihiro Kosaka

Masayuki Katayama

Fumio Kubota

Hiroyuki Seshimo

Masaaki Oka

Chiyose Fujiwara

A flowcytometer includes a sheath flow cell for forming a sample stream containing particles; a detector for detecting the particle at a first area to generate a signal representative of the particle; an imaging device for capturing an image of the particle at a second area of the sample stream; a display; a calculator for calculating a plurality of characteristic parameters of each particle; a distribution preparation device for preparing a distribution of the characteristic parameters to display the distribution on the display; a designation device for previously designating a region in the distribution; a region memory for storing the designated region; a decision device for deciding whether the characteristic parameters of the particle detected at the first area by the detection means are located in the designated region stored in the region memory; an image controller for allowing the imaging device to imaging the particle when the characteristic parameters are located in the designated region; an image memory for storing the image of the particle; and a controller for selectively reading the image of the particle to allow the display device to display the read image.

Flow cytometer

An analyzer for analyzing urine material components includes: a sheath flow cell for forming a sample stream containing the urine material components; a light source for illuminating the sample stream; a section for detecting optical information from the illuminated material component particles; and an analyzing section for analyzing the material components; the analyzing section including a parameter extracting section for extracting parameters from the detected optical information, a section for generating a distribution diagram for the material components on the basis of the extracted parameters, a section for inputting an expectative domain of a particular material component in the distribution diagram, and a warning section for giving a warning when a cluster of data points of the particular material component deviates from the expectative domain by more than a predetermined degree.

Analyzer for analyzing particle components in urine with flow cytometry

A particle analyzer includes a flow cell including first and second cells for containing an electrolyte with various types of biological particles floating therein. The first and second cells are connected to each other by a pore to allow the particles to flow from the first cell to the second cell through the pore. A first and a second electrode are provided in the electrolyte in the first and second cells respectively. A first detector detects an electric resistance between the first and second electrodes which changes according as the particle passes through the pore to generate an electric resistance signal representative of the electric resistance. A light source emits a beam of light to the flowing particle and a second detector detects scattered light from the particle receiving the beam of light to generate a scattered light signal representative of an intensity of the scattered light. A clock device clocks a period of time during which the scattered light signal is generated. An analyzer classifies the particle as a particular type of biological particle based on a correlation between the electric resistance signal and the clocked period of time.

Particle analyzer classifying particles of various biological types

A reagent for analyzing cells in urine and a method for analyzing cells in urine with the use of the reagent are provided. The present invention discloses a reagent for analyzing cells in urine which comprises solution(s) containing a fluorescent dye, an osmolarity compensating agent and a buffer, as well as a method for analyzing cells in urine which comprises diluting a urine sample and staining cells therein with the reagent, irradiating the cells with light in the violet or blue wavelength region by using a flow cytometer and measuring the forward or side scattered light and fluorescence from the cells.

Method of classifying and counting cells in urine

The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically analyzing cells in urine using flow cytometry. The present invention includes means for converting scattered-light signals indicative of individual cells in a urine specimen into corresponding pulse signals, means for converting the pulse width of each pulse signal resulting from the aforementioned conversion into cell-diameter data in accordance with known cell diameters, and means for classifying and enumerating various cells in the urine in correlation with each item of cell-diameter data resulting from the conversion.

Apparatus for analyzing cells in urine

A method and apparatus are provided for analyzing cells in urine. A constricted zone through which various cells contained in a urine specimen flow in single file is irradiated with light having a light beam width in the direction of cell flow of between 1 .mu.m to 20 .mu.m. Scattered light and fluorescent light emitted by the cells is converted into scattered-light intensity data and fluorescent light intensity data. Preferably, the individual cells have been stained with a stain such that DNA will specifically emit fluorescence. Cell diameter data is also generated from the detected scattered light. Cell judgment values are stored in a memory device, and the cells in the urine specimen are classified based upon the cell judgment values.

Apparatus and method for analyzing cells in urine

A method and apparatus are provided for analyzing cells in urine. A constricted zone through which various cells contained in a urine specimen flow in single file is irradiated with light having a light beam width in the direction of cell flow of between 1 .mu.m to 20 .mu.m. Scattered light and fluorescent light emitted by the cells is converted into scattered-light intensity data and fluorescent light intensity data. Preferably, the individual cells have been stained with a stain such that DNA will specifically emit fluorescence. Cell diameter data and peak-count data are also generated from the detected scattered light. Cell judgement values are stored in a memory device, and the cells in the urine specimen are classified based upon the cell judgement values.

An optical particle analyzing apparatus includes a flow cytometer in which laser light and lamp light having a wavelength shorter than that of the laser light are used simultaneously when particles in a blood specimen or the like are analyzed by the flow cytometer. Scattered light emitted by a particle due to irradiation with the laser light and fluorescence emitted by the particle due to irradiation with the lamp light are detected. A signal indicative of the scattered light is used as a timing signal to detect the fluorescence. This arrangement makes it possible to reduce the size and cost of the apparatus.

Optical particle analyzing apparatus having two types of light source

A flow cell for a fluid particle analyzer comprises a narrow measuring liquid path, liquid introducing paths continuous to this measuring liquid path, liquid specimen nozzles disposed so that the front ends may be opposite to each other across the measuring liquid path, and sheath liquid inlets and waste liquid outlets disposed in the liquid introducing paths, respectively. The particle analyzer is designed to emit light to the liquid specimen flowing as a sheath flow in the measuring liquid path in the flow cell and detect the light from the particles individually. Since two liquid specimen nozzles are disposed opposite to each other, measurements from the liquid specimen discharging from one of the liquid specimen nozzles can take place while preparation of the other liquid specimen takes place, so that the analysis processing time can be notably shortened.

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Hyogo, Japan

Hiroyuki Nakamoto